The Wanderer
by StephWestern
Summary: Blaine is on a quest for the King of Parterra, his homeland. He and his company are to find and capture The Wanderer, a mystical creature of great power and enchanting beauty. This is a tale of magic and morals but above all, this is a tale of love. AU
1. Winter: Part I

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters (sadly). I also do not own the song "Nature Boy" by David Bowie. **

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><p><strong>Winter: Part I<strong>

_There was a boy,  
>A very strange, enchanted boy.<br>They say he wandered very far,  
>Very far, over land and sea.<em>

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><p>The flames of the fire danced before Blaine's eyes, the flickering light reflected by every tiny crystal like particle of snow on the ground. The clearing Blaine and the rest of the party had settled in was surrounded by numerous trees, which towered high above them and grew closely together. The warm glow of the fire did not reach but a few feet into the darkness beyond their temporary camp and Blaine could not stop his mind from wandering to thoughts of what may be hiding in the dense forest around him.<p>

In Parterra, legends were a predominant part of life. Every child was educated in Parterran legends and some, if they were lucky and once they were of the about twenty years, were given the opportunity to embark on a quest. Blaine had received his letter three weeks ago now. He remembered the excitement that bubbled up in his stomach and made his chest tight with anticipation when he had seen the King's crest embellished in the deep purple wax seal on the parchment. He remembered how Mother had squealed happily and called Father in from where he was working in the fields. They had opened the letter together. Blaine had been ordered to join the party who were in search for _The Wanderer. _

The excitement Blaine had felt when he had recognised the King's seal was nothing- _nothing- _compared the thrill that had passed through him when he read those two words.

_The Wanderer._

_The Wanderer _had always been the legend which had enthralled him as a child, the idea of a magical creature who had been condemned to forever walk the Earth, in search for something that would end his sentence, brought to life his imagination in a way that no other legend could. There were so many questions that had filled Blaine's mind as soon as he realised that he was to be searching for this creature. What had he done to suffer such a fate? What was he looking for?

Quests were usually for knowledge purposes, to discover how much of the legends was fact or fiction; to aid the illustrators of the Legend Codex by offering a true to life description of the creatures in the legends. However, this was quest was different. The King, who Blaine had always admired for his strength and bravery, wished for Blaine's party to capture the creature and bring him too him. _The Wanderer _was rumoured to be a creature of wondrous power and enchanting beauty, something which had also enthralled Blaine ever since he had first heard the legend.

A piece of wood in the fire popped loudly and startled Blaine. It was then that he saw it. There was a flash of white ahead of him in the forest, appearing and disappearing so quickly that he was not even sure he had seen it at all. Blaine looked around at his the few remained men but was quickly assured that they had not seen anything out of the ordinary as they were still deeply involved in a conversation about Noah's latest sexual conquest. Blaine rolled his eyes and leaned forward slightly in his seat and continued to watch the space where he had seen... whatever it was.

It wasn't until the last of the other men had risen from his spot by the warmth of the fire and retired to his tent that Blaine saw movement in the forest again. He couldn't be sure- the movement was just close enough to the light provided by the fire to be seen, yet too far into the thickening shadows to be completely visible- but this seemed to be more than just an animal. Blaine shut his eyes and listened carefully to the sounds around him. The fire crackled, some of his companions were snoring and, somewhere close by, an owl was hooting. Nothing out of the ordinary but upon opening his eyes, Blaine saw movement again, this time a little to the left of their camp. Using the flame of the dying fire, Blaine lit a lantern and got to his feet. His heart thudded in his chest as he approached the trees, the lantern held out before him, its waning flame illuminating only what was immediately before him.

The forest was just as dark as he had feared and as he made his way to wear he had seen the movement earlier, Blaine began to wish that he had thrown on an extra fur- now that he had left the comforting glow of the fire, he was shivering in his snowy surroundings. There was a soft thud to his left and Blaine whirled around holding the lantern out, trying to spread the light as far as possible. Everything was still. The wind was no longer blowing and burning his face, no birds were flying overhead. All around was silent, except for the noise of his own breathing and the steady, but abnormally fast, beat of his heart in his ears.

Taking a shuddering breath, Blaine began to walk forward. He was now travelling deeper into the forest. The trees were thicker, taller, more densely packed and very little snow covered the ground- the canopy above him had stopped it from ever reaching the forest floor. It also ensured that no moon or star light reached into the forest, the only light now was from the waning flame that Blaine carried with him.

_Maybe this is not such a good idea, _Blaine thought, pulling his furs closer to him with his free hand. _What on Earth was I thinking, walking through unfamiliar land alone at night? Nobody knows I'm gone... I could just disappear. _Blaine turned on his heel sharply and started to walk back in the direction that he thought he had come. After a good ten minutes of walking, Blaine started to panic. None of the trees around him looked familiar- except, he was sure he had passed that one with the particularly large knot in its trunk twice in the past few minutes. He couldn't see the light of the fire, the peaks of the company's tents.

The realisation washed over him like a bone-shakingly cold wave. He was lost. And what was more: he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Blaine held the lantern out and slowly turned where he stood. His heart hammered in his chest, his mind was shuffling ever possible scenario that he could think of. There was no one immediately near him. He exhaled shakily and took a few more cautious steps forward... and there it was. Camp. He actually laughed out loud. The sound pierced the night and sounded foreign to his ears. Fear had warped the pitch and tone of his voice. Still, he had been so afraid and there was camp. The fire was nearly just glowing embers but at least it provided a little more light. The moon and stars were also now visible. Blaine smiled to himself as the relief wrapped around him like a warm blanket. Overhead, a shooting star flew across the inky black sky. Blaine turned to follow it. He watched until it disappeared and he lowered his eyes.

Two wide silvery orbs bore into his. Blaine yelped and jumped back, his lantern falling to the ground. Its light died as it hit the floor, though the sound of it hitting the floor was muffled by the covering of snow. As Blaine stumbled backwards, his legs hit a log and he fell into the snow. Blaine opened his mouth again- to say what, he wasn't sure- but the creature before him brought a finger to its lips and shook its head slightly, panic bright in its large eyes. Blaine brought a quivering hand to his mouth.

Blaine knew had a choice. If he spoke now and called for the boys, there was a chance the quest could end there and then. They didn't know much of its powers but they were all highly trained and fit young men and they outnumbered the creature before him ten to one. They would be heroes back home- Blaine would get his medal from the King.

Or, he could stay quiet. Blaine looked to the creature. His pale skin reflected the moonlight causing him to glow in an ethereal way and his chestnut hair shone and fell perfectly around his head in a halo of perfect waves. Everything about the creature screamed of the supernatural, but those wide eyes in his angelic face, they bore into Blaine's with very human emotion- the creature was pleading with him, but under the fear was the spark of something more. The creature stood tall, it didn't shake with fear, and its expression was hard. There was a ferocity about it. Blaine bit his lip before carefully nodding to the creature.

Its pink lips parted and its eyelids fluttered shut as it exhaled. Its long eyelashes cast thin shadows onto its high cheekbones. The smallest smile graced its lips for a split second before its face became grave and serious again. It opened its eyes and held its head up high. It made to turn and walk away before it stopped again and walked towards Blaine. Blaine's breath caught in his throat. The creature held out a hand to him. Blaine observed it for a second, the long slender fingers moved slightly in gesture for him to take it. Blaine put his hand into the creatures. Its skin was soft as a feather but its grip on him was strong and Blaine did not miss the way its muscles moved as it pulled him to his feet. Once Blaine was standing the creature gave him one last look, its expression unreadable, before turning and running back into the forest.

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><p><strong>AN: OMG first multi-chaptered Klaine fic! So this is just something that I started a few days ago. It just popped into my head so I wrote it down! At the moment, it's looking like it's going to be maybe eight chapters (?). Well, I'm thinking two chapters for each season at the moment and none of them too long- they'll most likely all be this length. I hope this wasn't too boring. It's only the first chapter and I wanted to give you some background and stuff and obviously there is a huge lack of Klaine interaction right now but please have faith in the story, I think it's going to be quite sweet! **

**I'll try to update as soon as I can. I just had a massive hit of motivation and inspiration to finish what you just read and so the next upload may even be later today. Okay, I'll shut up now. Leave me your thoughts, please? **

**:) **


	2. Winter: Part II

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters.**_

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><p><strong>Winter: Part II <strong>

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><p>The sound of the river running alongside their camp should have been calming to Blaine, should have eased him to sleep like a lullaby but it had been several hours since all the men had retired to their tents and Blaine was still frustratingly alert. In the few weeks that had passed since the incident in the forest, the land had started to thaw and the ice and snow which had previously blanketed everything had almost disappeared completely. Also, Blaine had not seen the creature from the woods again, nor had he told anyone else of the encounter he had had.<p>

He hadn't slept a wink that night either and the next morning he had risen early and searched the surrounding area for any sign of the creature. He'd found nothing and for a while wasn't even sure if he had dreamed up the whole experience. Therefore, he had said nothing to his company but had casually suggested that they headed in the direction that he had seen the creature depart. Whether he did this for selfish, ridiculous reasons or so that they had a chance of actually completing their quest, he didn't know.

Their trek had led them out of and away from the forest until they had eventual come to the East River. The last week or so had been spent following the river as the legends stated that the _ Wanderer _was a creature that would stay as close to a large body of water as possible-why it did this was not stated as nobody knew.

Blaine sighed and pushed his sleeping furs off of him as he sat up. He pulled his boots on and his numerous jackets- the temperature may have been steadily rising but it was still bitingly cold- and left his tent. The sky above was the lightest blue, almost grey and glowing with that eerie, pre-dawn light. The colour reminded him of those wide, fierce eyes. Blaine found himself rolling his eyes as the image of the creature's perfect face loomed in the forefront of his mind. The face he hadn't been able to forget.

He just needed to know that the creature was real, that he had seen it that night. Sleepless nights and confused early morning walks had become routine for Blaine in the past few weeks. He had been so irresponsible. He should have called for the boys when he had first seen the creature. The quest could have been over by now, that is, assuming that the creature was the _Wanderer_. He didn't know that it was but for some reason he felt pretty sure that it was. If it wasn't, it may have aided them somehow.

Blaine made his way along the river. It was fullest this time of year, carrying all the melted snow and ice from the mountains and valley's which were upstream. Though it appeared calm, it ran quickly, dangerous currents within the rush of water. He stopped and sat on the damp bank. He had walked quite far, the camp just visible in the distance. Sighing to himself, he closed his eyes and lent back onto his elbows, legs crossed before him.

"So," a voice startled Blaine, his eyes flew open and he instinctively turned to the source of the noise.

"You let me go." The creature was sitting beside Blaine and its eyes a soft green and expression, like before, unreadable. The creature blinked slowly, long eyelashes fluttering shut and open again like the beaat of a wing.

"Yes," Blaine managed to choke out. His voice was caught in his throat, him mouth suddenly entirely too dry and palms disgustingly sweaty.

"It is nice here. I like it," the creature said as it moved to mirror how Blaine had been sat before he had realised it was there. The pale light from the brightening overcast sky above was bouncing off of the creatures fair skin like the moonlight had all those weeks ago. Blaine's attention was drawn to its bare chest, which was hairless and slightly muscled, like its stomach. The creatures arms were muscled more heavily, the lines of its biceps clearly defined as if it had been sculpted in marble.

"I- I like it too."

"Why did you let me go? You could have called for help, I am sure the others with you would have been out there faster than I could get away." The creature watched Blaine carefully as he sighed and ran a hand through his curly hair.

"I knew you weren't going to hurt me- I had no need to call for help," Blaine said. The creatures eyes flashed with something, maybe anger, maybe surprise. Blaine didn't know. The creature's emotions were hard for him to read.

"Do not play the fool," the creature said coolly. Blaine found himself admire how silky and musical the creature's voice was. "You could have captured me that night. You did not." Its eyes hardened and soft fern green darkened to a mossy colour as Blaine looked on, his own hazel eyes wide.

"I didn't want you to get caught," he said cautiously.

"Why?"

"I-" Blaine paused. Why did he let the creature go? "You're so... it's like you... I have loved your legend for so long and when- when I was sent on this quest it was a dream come true. I was- and you were... when I saw you, you were so much more than anything I had ever imagined."

The creature was watching him with a bemused expression on its face. Blaine could feel his cheeks burning. He felt stupendously hot for such a cold, crisp morning. The truth was that Blaine didn't know why he had let the creature beside him go. He was under the employ of the King; it was his job to find the being that, once again, was in close proximity to him and take it to his King.

Blaine opened his mouth to try to talk again but the creature spoke again.

"I have seen you alone a lot. Every day, actually," it added.

"Yes," Blaine said simply.

"You were looking for me?" It questioned. Blaine sighed and looked out over the water for a moment before turning back to look at the creature. Wide eyes framed by luscious thick lashes met his gaze.

"Yes," he breathed.

"To capture me?"

"No. Never." He had let the words tumble from his mouth before he even realised he was thinking them. The hung heavy with the weight of promise around the two beings. Blaine thought he looked every bit as surprised as the creature at that moment.

"You-" it was the first time that Blaine had seen vulnerability in this creature and it was beautiful. Oh Gods, was it _beautiful_. And in the next second it was gone. "I have to go."

"Wait," Blaine cried out as the creature stood. "Please, don't- will I see you again?"

"I can not... I will not let some _human _just- just _lure _me into some false sense of security," the creature burst out.

"I'm not- I promise I am not, I will not-" Blaine took a step toward the creature but it took two back in return and threw its arms out in front of it. Its eyes were somewhere between and dazzling silver and piercing and bitter ice blue.

"NO! You think I do not know who you are? Why you are here? What your King wants from me; what those men want from me; what _you _want from me. You may be good with words and you may say that you are different from the rest but all humans are the same. Claim to be the exception you might, but I will not fall for it. Not today, not ever. _Do not_ come near me. I have to go."

Blaine raised a shaking hand to his mouth. The air around him crackled causing all the hair on the back of his neck to stand up on edge. The creature took one last look at him before wading into the river and disappearing under the water. Blaine found himself staring out over the water, just waiting for the creature to resurface, to appear on the far bank- for something. The sun rose and there was still nothing. The creature was gone.

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><p><strong><em>Woah, so much for uploading right after that first chapter went up! Real life got in the way. Anyway here is the second chapter. Let me know what you're thinking in a review? I go on holiday on Saturday so I'll try my hardest to get chapter three up before then!<em>**


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